Delusions of Grandeur
by PorcelainDoll97
Summary: Everyone ends up at a strip club for different reasons. The Grounder is the most popular strip club in Baltimore where Clarke, Octavia, and other characters work. Bellamy decides to visit the club one night. How is it that he ends up falling for a stripper? Bellarke and Linctavia AU
1. Chapter 1

I was not easy to convince Bellamy of anything. On his rare nights off from bartending, he would sit at home with his younger sister. He refused the company of his friends deciding that family comes first.

Tonight was his first night off since Octavia had gotten a new job as a night nurse. Bellamy had been so proud of her as she announced her new source of income. It was much better than her previous retail jobs, even if she did work the night shift.

Since there was no Octavia waiting for him at home, Bellamy's friends were able to convince him that they should take a trip to the most popular strip club in Baltimore, the Grounder.

"It's going to be worth it." Miller told Bellamy. "I hear they have the most beautiful girls on the poles every night."

"It's not like I've ever had any trouble getting girls." Bellamy smirked. He was quite the playboy. He had a new girl every week or two and had no trouble replacing the girls once he became tired of them.

"You don't have to lift a finger at a club, though." Murphy grinned. "Just pay the whores a dollar and they do whatever you say."

"Plus, not everyone has as much game as you, Bellamy." Atom sneered.

Miller parked his car and the four unloaded. The club was a large grey building. Red and purple lights were seeping from the doorway and the ground under them leapt along with the bass of whatever song was playing.

Bellamy entered followed by his three friends. He scanned the area before settling into a chair in the front row of a stage. The dancer was just his type. Long tanned legs, brown hair, a pretty face. As long as he was here, he would enjoy the show.

Her dance finished quickly, and a blonde approached the stage. Bellamy stood and walked to the bar. Miller jogged after him.

"Why'd you leave?" Miller questioned. Bellamy shook his head.

"Blondes aren't my type." He yelled above the music. "I figured I might as well get a drink and scope out the rest of the dancers."

Music pounded in Clarke's ears as she brushed some rouge onto her cheeks. She was on stage next. Taking a few deep breathes; she pushed out of her chair and walked towards the stage. One of Clarke's good friends, Raven, had just finished a dance and high-fived Clarke as they switched places.

The familiar sound of Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue sounded over the intercom. Clarke took her position on the stage and began her dance. As she danced she scoped out the crowd.

Some of the usuals were there. James was a man in his mid 30s who had more troubles with his wife and children than she could count. Alex was a younger man who came one the same day every week. Clarke found it nice to have familiar faces in the crowd.

She threw off her lab coat and toy stethoscope to reveal a frilly pink bra with matching underwear and garter belt holding up white thigh high socks. Her silver heels clicked as she maneuvered around the stage.

She continued to glance around the crowd and spotted two people she had never seen before. Both were handsome, but he look in their eyes made her shudder.

Her song was over, and she dismounted the pole which she had been swinging around and collected the money thrown to her.

Instead of going back into the dressing rooms, Clarke decided to wander the floor for a while. She enjoyed the conversations people would start with her. She enjoyed the nervous glances in her direction as she played with her hair.

"Hey, you! Come here." Murphy wrapped his arms around Clarke's waist and pulled her down with him as he sat down. Her face was so close to his that she could practically see the lust in his eyes. She braced her arms against him and pushed away. He did not budge.

"Let go!" Clarke commanded. When she realized that Murphy's grip was not letting up, she began searching the room for help. Her eyes settled on one of her closer friends, Octavia. As the two girls made eye contact, realized that Clarke was uncomfortable. Her brows furrowed and she marched towards the pair.

If anyone could look dangerous in leather underwear, it was Octavia. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled back from her face allowing her scowl to be seen. Her footsteps were light, but meaningful. Her manicured hands gripped Clarke's shoulder and pried her from the arms of Murphy who wore a shocked look.

"Octavia?" His jaw dropped open. Clarke looked between the two wondering if they knew each other. A laugh sounded from Murphy's mouth. "Atom, get your ass over here!"

Another man joined the trio. His smile was wide as his eyes traced Octavia's figure.

"I assumed that you don't want Bellamy to know you're here." He whispered into Octavia's ear. She shuttered as she felt the breath creep down her neck. Atom sat down into a chair. "You better give me the best lap dance ever."

Octavia took a deep breath before lowering herself onto him. Atom's hands dug into Octavia's thighs. He rotated his hips against Octavia's core. She turned her head in disgust. Clarke caught Octavia's stare.

The look in Octavia's eyes was obvious. She needed Clarke to get them out of the situation. Clarke nodded subtly before leaping from Murphy's grasps. He made a frustrated noise as Clarke took off in the opposite direction.

"Hey, O, it looks like you have shitty friends. She left you for dead." Murphy told the brunette as he watched Octavia maneuver around Atom's lap. A moment later, Murphy stood, planning to follow Clarke.

Clarke ran like a bat out of hell. She looked back and saw Murphy's eyes lock onto her figure. She turned back to focusing on her mission. Being in the adult entertainment business, it wasn't uncommon that customers would overstep boundaries, but it was hard to deal with every time.

Clarke caught sight of Indra, a female bouncer. She was surveying the crowd. Clarke decided to get her to help. Clarke was so focus on Indra that she didn't recognize that she was running into a firm body. f

Clarke ended up falling onto her bottom. She looked up at the person who she had run into. He had dark brown hair and glared at her as she sat before him. He looked disgusted as he reached a hand to Clarke to help her up. She took the help and thanked him as she darted towards Indra.

Clarke panted as she relayed the situation to Indra. With a furious snarl, she called from more help on the radio. She followed Clarke as she led them back to where Octavia sat with the two men. Tristan, another bouncer, flanked Clarke as they stopped in front of Octavia who was still gripped tightly by Atom. Murphy had returned to his side.

"Gentlemen, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Indra told the two men. Atom blew air out of his nose.

"You can't make me leave." He mouthed to Indra. He threw Octavia from his lap and onto the ground. Clarke knelt beside Octavia and helped her stand. A third bouncer named Gustus joined them. He ushered Clarke and Octavia to the back room while Indra and Tristan took care of the two rowdy boys.

As soon as Clarke, Octavia, and Gustus were through the door, Clarke pushed Octavia into a chair.

"Are you ok?" Clarke began to check over Octavia's body. "Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine Clarke. Thanks for getting help." Octavia forced smiled at the other girl, but Clarke didn't buy it. "Okay, they're my brother's friends. He has no idea that I work here. He would kill me if he found out. They're going to go tell him I was here. I'm so scared."

Clarke placed a hand on the girl's back to comfort her before she caught sight of the red scratches on Octavia's thighs. "Wait, O, did he scratch you? You're bleeding."

"It's ok. Atom's nails just dug into me." Octavia shrugged. Clarke clicked her tongue and reached for her purse. After rummaging through it, she pulled out neosporin.

"Rub some of this on the cuts. I'll go deal with your brother." Octavia's eyes bulged as Clarke told her this. "You saved my ass from the other guy. This is the least I could do. I'll make sure your brother doesn't know you work here."

Octavia thanked Clarke as she left the room. Gustus stayed with Octavia in case the guys were to make another attempt at her.

Clarke was looking for Indra to gain an update of the situation when someone called out to her from behind.

"Hey stripper!" A masculine voice referred to her. Clarke turned around and saw the man she had ran into earlier.

"Oh, hi." Clarke smiled. "I'm sorry about running into you earlier. There was a situation and my friend needed help."

"Yeah whatever. Does a girl named Octavia work here? Octavia Blake?" He was straight to the point. His olive skin tone and dark features made Clarke feel small.

Clarke realized that this must be Octavia's brother. She faked pensive for a moment. "Nope. Not at this club."

The man fidgeted on his feet and sighed heavily. "Those two idiot who were making a scene were my friends. They told me that my sister was working here and they were trying to bring her to me. They also said that you assumed she was in trouble."

Clarke's eyebrows drew in surprise. How dare Atom lie about forcing Octavia into his lap? "No, the girl who was pulled away was Raven. Not only that, that Atom guy was forcing himself onto her. He was in no way bringing her to you. We strippers are often mistaken for people who one lusts after. Maybe your friend was mistaken."

"Stay out of my business, stripper." Octavia's brother scoffed.

"Stop calling me stripper." Clarke demanded and turned to walk off. Octavia's brother caught her by the arm.

"You're prancing around in your little pink underwear. Do you really think that you deserve to be called more than stripper?

"Your droogs are waiting for you outside, Alex. Don't keep them waiting." Clarke teased and strutted the other way. She couldn't stand people when they talked down to her. She pitied Octavia, as she was stuck with the man.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Bell," Octavia called to her brother. He was in the kitchen making dinner. Bellamy had to go to work soon, but Octavia had the night off. She had been trying to throw him off her trail after he had shown up at the strip club three days earlier. "My friend is going to be spending the night, ok?"

"Aren't you a little too old to have sleepovers?" Bellamy laughed at his little sister. Octavia was 23, but she still acted like a seventeen year old.

"I guess, but she's a really good friend. She's been having some problems with her boyfriend." Octavia filled Bellamy in on some of the reasons. He nodded. "Thank you."

"I made some pasta. You and your friend can have some if you're hungry." Bellamy offered.

"Thanks Bell. We can eat it when she gets here." Octavia sat herself down at the tv in their living room. Her phone made a sound and she glanced at the text before clicking out a reply. "She'll be here in a few minutes. When're you leaving?"

"I'm heading out the door right now. I'll talk to you later." Bellamy said a final goodbye before heading out the door, locking it behind him.

Clarke rapped on the door three times before Octavia answered. Octavia's wide smile fell as her eyes examined Clarke.

Clarke had on dark blue jeans which hugged her hips. She sported a heather grey short sleeved shirt with 'Johns Hopkins' written in a light blue. Deep crimson splotches dotted the shirt. Her purse hung loosely from her fingertips. It wasn't the clothes that bothered Octavia. It was her friend's physical appearance.

Clarke's eyes were bloodshot with tears streaking down her face. Her lower lip was swollen and the right side was busted open. Her left eye was beginning to bruise. A black eye was inevitable. Her nose was leaking blood. On the visible areas of her arms, more bruises were beginning to appear, most in the formation of handprints.

"Fuck, Clarke. What happened to you?" Octavia gently led Clarke into her apartment.

"I told you. I had a fight with my boyfriend." Clarke attempted a smile, but her cut lip began to sting.

"I thought you meant an argument. This… this is abuse!" Octavia panicked. "Sit down. I'll get you some ice or something."

Clarke placed her purse by the couch and sat down with a loud sigh. Her body was aching. Finn had hit her before, but never this bad. She knew that he would call her apologising tomorrow. It was always the same, but she couldn't leave him. She was in love.

Octavia came back wielding a bag of frozen peas and an ice pack. She sat down before pulling Clarke into a lying position with her head in her lap. Octavia moved Clarke's hand to told one cold compress to her eye while she held the other to her lip. Octavia's free hand was brushing through the blonde's hair.

"Want to talk about it?" Octavia asked. Clarke shook her head. She wasn't ready. Octavia understood.

"I just want to be somewhere where Finn doesn't expect me to go." Clarke explained. The two girls sat in silence and watched an episode of 30 Rock. The light humor took their minds off of the grim circumstances of the sleepover.

The jiggling of the door handle shook both girls from their peace. The compresses hit the floor as Clarke jumped to her feet and cowered behind Octavia.

"O, I'm back. Too many people were scheduled to work tonight, so I came home. Is your friend here already?" Bellamy's voice was growing closer and closer. Clarke relaxed when she realized that it wasn't Finn, but tensed when she remembered that he only knew her as a stripper. It would blow Octavia's cover.

This thought was obviously transmitted to Octavia, but she brushed it off. "I can handle him knowing what I do for a living. You're more important."

Bellamy entered the room and his face went flat. His eyes were busy assessing the situation. His face showed all the conflicting emotions cross his face. He faked a calm emotion. "O, how do you know her?"

Octavia drew in a breath. "I work with her."

He nodded in understanding. Clarke was surprised at how calm he was, but it only lasted a second. With a scream, he knocked over the items sitting on the closest counter. Cookbooks along with a pair of salt and pepper shakers hit the ground. Clarke reeled back with a yelp. The outburst reminded her too much of what she had faced an hour earlier.

"You're quitting that job right now, Octavia." Bellamy demanded.

"No, Bell, we can talk about this later." Octavia yelled back at her brother.

"I think right now is a fine time to discuss this." Bellamy snapped.

"You may be my big brother and you may have taken care of me, but you're not my boss. I'm taking care of Clarke right now. She needs me more than you need me to quit my only source of income." Octavia shot off.

"She's a stripper, O." Bellamy softened his voice. "She's going to be a bad influence. You're too good to be a stripper. Your life will go no where. You're going to end up regretting it. Nothing good can come of it."

Octavia rolled her eyes before picking up one of the ice packs. The silent treatment would work for now.

Bellamy was confused. "Why are there ice packs out?"

"Really Bell?" Octavia sneered. She tilted her head to Clarke. Bellamy had been in such a rage that he hadn't realized the girl's state of injury.

"Did this happen at the strip club?" Bellamy started again. "I told you it isn't a safe place, O."

"This is from her boyfriend, Bell. Be a little nicer. She's been though a lot today." Octavia sat Clarke back onto the couch and iced her eye. "Could you grab me the other one?"

Bellamy did more than just grab the ice pack. He sat down on the other side of Clarke and pressed it against her lip. Without another word, the three settled into the couch to watch the TV.

After a few hours, Octavia had fallen asleep leaning against the couch arm. Bellamy continued to ice Clarke's face.

"You should go shower." Bellamy suggested. There was dried blood staining her face and it tangled her hair. Clarke nodded in agreement. Bellamy led her to Octavia's room. "I'll find some clothes that don't have blood on them. O's bathroom is right through that door."

Clarke pushed the door open and was surprised by the ridiculous amount of clothes cluttering the floor of the bathroom. Clarke didn't notice Bellamy peer in behind her. She jumped as he spoke. "I've been telling her for days to clean that up. You can use my bathroom."

Clarke shuffled her feet as Bellamy led her into his room. He looked through his drawers and pulled out a pair of grey sweat pants and a t shirt with the name of some band written across the chest. He pushed the clothes into her hands before guiding her into the bathroom.

"There are clean towels under the sink." Bellamy told her before turning away. Clarke heard his footsteps receding into the living room.

"Thank you!" Clarke called to him, unsure if he could hear. She was surprised when he answered.

"No problem, Princess."

After Clarke had thoroughly washed the dried blood from her body, she reentered the living room. Bellamy had returned to his place on the couch and Octavia was sound asleep. Clarke placed herself between the siblings.

Bellamy felt his heart jump as the small girl entered the room in his clothes. He swelled with pride as he recognized the scent of his bodywash on her.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Clarke asked Bellamy. "Yesterday I was a lowly stripper and now you're treating me like…"

"A princess?" Bellamy filled in for her. Clarke nodded. Bellamy realized that his switch in personality was strange and that Clarke deserved some explanation. "I watched my dad beat my mom for ten years before he left her. A few years after that, she killed herself. I don't mess around with abuse."

"I'm so sorry." Clarke stared wide-eyed at Bellamy before pulling him into a hug. "No one deserves to lose a parent that way."

"Plus, you're one of Octavia's best friends. She never brings people over here. I've never seen her hang out with someone before. Thank you for being her friend, even if you are a stripper." Bellamy joked as he settled into the small arms of the blonde.

The two held each other for a moment before the ringing of a phone destroyed the moment. It was Clarke's. She grabbed the phone from her purse and stared at the screen. The caller ID lit up with Finn's name.

"It's been going off for a while." Bellamy told her. "Is Finn your boyfriend?"

Clarke nodded and Bellamy snatched the phone out of her hands. He marched away and Clarke scrambled behind him. He swiped to answer.

"Hello?" Bellamy asked.

"Sorry, I think I have the wrong number." Finn replied put off by the male voice.

"If you're trying to reach Clarke, you're called the right number." Bellamy's voice was rough.

"So, can I talk to her?" Finn requested. Clarke grabbed at the phone, but Bellamy pulled it out of her reach.

"Are you going to apologize for beating her?" Bellamy asked already knowing what Finn would reply.

"I didn't beat her. I was just upset and took it out on her. I feel awful. It's not usually like this." Finn explained. Clarke had heard this excuse before. Her eyes welled with tears as she realized that the domestic violence had become routine.

"How about this," Bellamy suggested. "If I ever hear about you being around her again, I will hunt you down and ruin your life."

With that he hung up and tossed the phone to Clarke. She had 23 other missed calls. Most were from Finn, but some were from her mother and her other friend, Raven. Clarke reasoned that it was too late to call her mother or friend as they were probably in bed. She was furious that Bellamy had taken her phone.

After her initial rage died, Clarke walked into the kitchen with Bellamy in tow.

"Want some hot chocolate?" Bellamy suggested. Clarke nodded while she sat down on a bar stool and watched Bellamy boil some water.

"I've known Finn for three years." Clarke began. Bellamy was objective and Clarke felt as if she could tell him everything about the situation. "We met on my first day in Baltimore. I asked for directions and we ended up getting coffee. We started dating a month later and he moved into my apartment last year. He started hitting me around the same time. It was never this bad. This is the first time he has hit my face. Now I can't go home and I can't go to work. No one wants a dance with a beat up stripper."

Clarke wiped the tears from her eyes as Bellamy pushed the mug of hot chocolate in front of her.

"Take some time off from work." Bellamy suggested. "O and I may not have a fantastic house, but you're more than welcome to our couch."

"Thank you, Bell." Clarke smiled. "I just don't know what to do. Should I breakup with Finn? He's the only boyfriend I've ever had."

Bellamy chuckled. "You're telling me that you, a stripper, have only had one boyfriend? I never pictured strippers being so pure. I assumed Octavia was doing it for attention."

"Yup." Clarke popped the p. She took a sip of her drink before continuing. "I never had the time to date in high school or college. I may take off my clothes for a living, but Finn has been my one and only. Also, Octavia isn't stripping for no reason. She has told me that she's planning on going back to college. She doesn't want to be a stripper forever."

"I just don't want Octavia to ruin her life. She is too good to be a stripper. It's going to ruin her life." Bellamy reasoned with Clarke.

Her brow furrowed. Bellamy had struck a nerve. "I don't understand why you think that you're so much better. Is being a stripper really the worst thing you can think of? My life is on track. I'm going to be a surgeon with no debt whatsoever. Surprised? I'm in medical school. I've had one serious relationship and haven't become addicted to one night stands. My life is perfect! I'm debt free. Octavia tells me about you. You can't hold a proper job. You're always out with different women every night. Reassess who has their life together."

"Oh yeah? Well at least I haven't let my girlfriends beat me like a punching bag. You're stupid to stay in that relationship for that long. He obviously doesn't love you enough to treat you well." Bellamy hissed to the wide eyed girl. Clarke fixed her eyes on the ground. She took in a deep breath before grabbing her purse from the living room and exiting the house. Bellamy's stomach sank as he realized what he did.

Bellamy shook Octavia's shoulder to rouse her. She woke slowly and peered around the room confused. "Bell, where is Clarke?"

"I said something I shouldn't have."


End file.
